


Hugs for the Heart

by chenhuns



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-24 23:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3788572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenhuns/pseuds/chenhuns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo gives out free hugs and finds someone for himself along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hugs for the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the 2014/15 round of Tiny Terrors.

Kyungsoo comes home with a heavy backpack on his shoulders, bag filled with books from the library and his laptop that he had been using to complete his assignments. It's 6pm and he expects to come home to a quiet apartment because his roommate Chanyeol doesn't usually come back until it's past ten at night, but instead he comes home to complete and utter chaos in the living room, greeted by noisy whoops and cheers the moment he opens the door.

Kyungsoo stops in his tracks, eyeing the mess on the coffee table and his eye twitches. His gaze lands on Chanyeol, who at least has the decency to look sheepish, as Chanyeol walks over to where Kyungsoo stands by the door. 

"You're back early," Chanyeol starts the conversation.

"I think I should be the one saying that to you," Kyungsoo retorts, glaring at the boy standing in front of him.

“Come on, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol’s friend Baekhyun whines as he comes up from behind and drapes his arm across Chanyeol’s shoulders. “Come join us.”

Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows at Baekhyun’s glitter-covered hands and takes careful steps towards the coffee table. Instead of finding opened packets of chips and empty drink cans on the table like he expected, Kyungsoo finds two sandwich boards, or rather two sandwich boards in the making, with a huge _FREE HUGS_ written on each of the four boards. 

The thing is atrocious, black lettering print outs covered in huge amounts of glitter glue in pink, blue and green. There's stains even on the table and Kyungsoo shudders at the thought of how difficult it would be to clean up. 

"You'll be cleaning this up, right?" Kyungsoo asks, eyes trained on Chanyeol. 

"That's the first thing you say?" Baekhyun snorts, coming forward to drape his arm over Kyungsoo's shoulders. 

"Get off me, Byun." 

"You are going to be the one wearing one of these," Baekhyun declares, grinning at Kyungsoo.

"Says who?" 

Kyungsoo ducks and gets out of Baekhyun's hold, turning to face Chanyeol who's looking down sheepishly and avoiding Kyungsoo's gaze. Kyungsoo knows this is all Chanyeol's fault, if not the both of them together, and he wants to find out why. 

"What's the catch?" Kyungsoo asks rather calmly. 

"Free hugs for charity?" Chanyeol tries.

All he gets is an unimpressed look that tells him he should explain before Kyungsoo beheads him.

"When's the last time you dated? Like really genuinely liked someone?" Chanyeol asks instead and it makes Kyungsoo think. 

The last relationship he had was with a boy named Joonmyun, and it barely lasted a year before they called it quits. Joonmyun told him that they weren't meant to be after they started quarrelling too often, and while Kyungsoo still wanted to make it work, Joonmyun didn't. That was three years ago and Kyungsoo doesn't remember falling for anyone else in between. The breakup affected him greatly and he's pretty sure that was the only time he ever holed himself up in his bedroom for a week straight without talking to anyone, not even Chanyeol who had tried to comfort him from outside his door.

"What's your point?" Kyungsoo retorts after a few minutes. 

"My point is, I think it's time you meet someone who's actually good for you, and not like that bastard who dared break your heart," Chanyeol replies, eyes meeting Kyungsoo's. "I still want to punch him in the face whenever I see him." 

Chanyeol's comment makes Kyungsoo chuckle, also making him realise he's grateful he has Chanyeol by his side no matter what. 

"And a free hugs event will solve that?" 

"Hey, think about it. You might make someone's day and try to find someone for yourself at the same time. It's for a good cause," Baekhyun interrupts. 

Kyungsoo thinks about it in his head for a moment and comes to conclusion that for once Baekhyun is right. There's no harm in trying to make someone else's day, nor is there harm in trying to spot potential boyfriends while carrying out his good deed. 

"Then why are there two?" 

"That's because I'm your awesome best friend who will not let you make a fool out of yourself alone," Chanyeol grins, earning himself a light punch to his arm as Kyungsoo laughs.

"I get the blue one," Kyungsoo calls dips after taking a quick glance to choose the more decent one for himself. 

Chanyeol curses and Baekhyun cackles while telling him something along the lines of _I fucking told you_. 

 

Chanyeol decides to hold their event on the next Monday, insisting that it's a good day to do it because most would be suffering from Monday blues. Kyungsoo just goes along with it and clicks his tongue at Baekhyun who's following them around with a video camera. 

The three of them stand in the middle of the school courtyard, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol a few metres apart with their sandwich boards standing on the ground next to them. They immediately attract a few pairs of curious eyes but nobody dares to go up to them, especially when Chanyeol starts waving his arms around and literally chases after those passing by to give them hugs. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, stays in his spot and waits for people to come to him. Most of them simply walk past him and the first one who willingly comes to him is a tall boy about Chanyeol's height with red hair and accented Korean. He looks particularly out of it and he stops in front of Kyungsoo, sad eyes with huge eyebags underneath and a frown on his face. This boy makes the first move, opening his arms up for Kyungsoo to step into them and Kyungsoo feels like his bones are going to break by the sheer force the boy hugs him with.

"Thank you," the boy thanks Kyungsoo after, smiling, before walking away with a skip in his step. 

Just that one hug makes Kyungsoo realise that it isn't so bad, and he definitely doesn't regret it even when his legs ache from standing all day by the time they get home. His arms start to ache too but he tells Chanyeol he definitely wants to do it again before bidding him goodnight. 

 

Kyungsoo learns that Chanyeol had meant for it to be a one-time thing, but Kyungsoo tries to coolly mention that it'll be a waste for them to throw the boards away after all the effort Chanyeol and Baekhyun put into them. He gets a knowing grin from Chanyeol and he pretends not to see it. 

 

Giving out free hugs turns into a weekly event, and on their third time and many hugs later after word spread to the entire school, Kyungsoo finally lands eyes on someone he thinks he has a chance of falling for. 

The boy walking towards him has soft brown hair and high cheekbones, gentle smile on his face as he approaches Kyungsoo before they're a step away from each other. Kyungsoo opens up his arms first, waiting for the boy to step into them. His heart races for the first time in forever when the boy finally wraps his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulders and Kyungsoo doesn't hesitate to close his arms around the boy's torso. He only hopes that he wouldn't be able to feel his increased heartbeat. 

"Thanks," the boy says after they pull apart, the same smile on his face and Kyungsoo may have swooned. 

"You're welcome," Kyungsoo manages to squeak out just before he walks away. 

 

Kyungsoo finds out that the boy's name is Jongdae, a year above them and one of the best singers their school choir has, information courtesy of Baekhyun. Kyungsoo finds himself wishing they could give free hugs away every day just for the small possibility of seeing Jongdae walking through the courtyard, even if he doesn't come for hugs anymore. But of course, Kyungsoo doesn't bring up the suggestion to Chanyeol because he knows he wouldn't be able to tolerate the teasing that's bound to come after and the authorities might just possibly find his body floating somewhere. 

 

The next time he sees Jongdae, Kyungsoo is walking to his usual Monday spot with Chanyeol who's carrying both their sandwich boards. Jongdae is sitting on a bench under a tree, eyes on the spot Kyungsoo usually stands at to give his free hugs. Kyungsoo stops in his tracks when Jongdae turns his head and they meet eyes. Kyungsoo smiles shyly, a stark contrast to Jongdae's big bright one as he comes forward to meet him. 

"I was wondering why you weren't here," Jongdae says with a grin. 

Chanyeol watches them with interest clear in his eyes, a triumphant smile slowly forming on his face and Kyungsoo knows he already knows. Thankfully, Chanyeol walks away and leaves the two of them to talk although Kyungsoo half wants him to stay so it wouldn’t be so awkward. Jongdae is still smiling at him and Kyungsoo feels his heartbeat pick up and no matter how much he wills for it to slow down, it won’t. 

“Free hug?” Kyungsoo manages to ask. 

Jongdae steps forward without a word, enveloping Kyungsoo in his arms. He’s warm, much warmer than the last time Kyungsoo remembers. They’re about the same height so it’s comfortable, and Kyungsoo dares to rest his chin on Jongdae’s shoulder when he feels the other’s nose brush against his cheek. They’re close and this feels much more intimate than all the other hugs Kyungsoo had given. It’s nice, but the only thing Kyungsoo is afraid of is Jongdae hearing his heartbeat so he tries to pull away. Jongdae, on the other hand, seems like he has no plans of letting Kyungsoo go.

“A while more,” Jongdae murmurs against his hair and Kyungsoo thinks _oh, okay_.

Kyungsoo tightens his arms around Jongdae’s back and waits for Jongdae to be the first to let go because _really_ he won’t mind if Jongdae is the only one he hugs the entire day. He’s warm, and a quick whiff tells him that Jongdae has great taste in cologne too even if Kyungsoo doesn’t recognise which one he’s using. He only knows Jongdae smells good. 

“I needed that,” Jongdae sighs as he slowly pulls away, taking a step back. 

“Glad I could help somehow,” Kyungsoo answers, his lips forming a heart shape, beaming at Jongdae. 

“See you around,” is the last thing Jongdae says before he walks away and Kyungsoo wishes he had asked for his number. 

 

After an extremely traumatising experience with a girl who literally wouldn’t let him go, Chanyeol decides to put an end to their free hugs events. Kyungsoo tries to convince him to continue doing it because he wants to have a reason to come in contact with Jongdae, but Chanyeol won’t budge and Kyungsoo agrees to discard their sandwich boards after seeing the fear in Chanyeol’s eyes. 

“You can just ask him out, you know,” Chanyeol says after they throw out the boards. 

“Who?” Kyungsoo pretends to not know who he’s talking about.

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol grins. “Your crush on him is so obvious.” 

“It’s not a crush,” Kyungsoo tries to reason. “He’s just a really nice person to hug.” 

“You can lie to me but you can’t lie to yourself,” Chanyeol replies, throwing his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and patting it. “Baekhyun’s friends with him, you know. They’re pretty tight. You could always ask him to set the two of you up.”

“I don’t think Jongdae will look at me like that,” Kyungsoo frowns. 

“Trust me, he will.” 

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t see Jongdae around anymore after they stopped giving out hugs. He tries to keep a lookout for him at the courtyard and even in the cafeteria but he doesn’t see him at all. He tries not to be put down because there’s nothing they share. There’s no _them_ just because they shared a few hugs. Kyungsoo tries to drill this into his head and blocks out all memories of them, despite there being only two. They’re never going to happen, and Kyungsoo is absolutely sure of that. 

Or so he thinks. 

 

“Jongdae’s been asking me about you,” Baekhyun mentions as they’re eating lunch together two weeks after they stopped their event. 

Kyungsoo chokes on his food and Chanyeol slaps him repeatedly on the back, even after Kyungsoo’s throat clears which earns him a hard slap to the thigh. 

“And?” Chanyeol asks for him. “What did he ask? What did you say?” 

“He tried to be subtle and referred to you as _the cute one giving out hugs_. I told him Kyungsoo may or may not like him,” Baekhyun answers, pulling his legs up just before Kyungsoo attempts to kick him in the shin. “He looked ecstatic.” 

Chanyeol lets out a joyful shout that attracts the attention of every single student in the cafeteria and he ducks his head down sheepishly, yet still maintaining the wide grin on his face. Kyungsoo hits him in the back of his head for making a fool out of himself and embarrassing all of them in the process but doesn’t offer a response to Baekhyun’s information. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

“That’s impossible,” Kyungsoo frowns. “There’s nothing for him to like about me.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo hears a voice say from behind him and he turns around, shocked to find Jongdae standing just behind him. “I think the fact that you give great hugs is enough for me.” 

Kyungsoo gapes up at Jongdae as the other smiles down at him, sliding into the empty seat next to him. Kyungsoo’s cheeks flush red when their thighs come in contact, plush against each other and Jongdae’s hand lands on his knee. Jongdae looks at him with this soft smile on his face and Kyungsoo feels his cheeks getting hotter, unable to calm his racing heart when Jongdae takes his hand in his. From the side of his eyes, he sees Baekhyun pretending to barf but Chanyeol is looking at them fondly. 

“What are you doing Friday night?” Jongdae asks, stroking Kyungsoo’s hand with his thumb.

“Going on a date with you, maybe?” Kyungsoo answers cheekily, laughing when Baekhyun lets out a disgusted yelp and Chanyeol cackles at his sudden bravery.

“Sounds just about right,” Jongdae grins, leaning in to brush his nose against Kyungsoo’s and Kyungsoo thinks that yeah, he definitely has a chance of falling for Jongdae.


End file.
